Balance
by Foreverwolf
Summary: POV. Yassen/Alex hinted. Life is simple when you boil it down. It's all about Balance, and what you're willing to sacrifice to keep it.


**AN:** Um, yeah, really no explanation for this one. I was in a mood. It's bad, but it suits me to write it. Guess that makes me balanced, one good, one bad. Takes the bar down a little, lol.

AU. Before SCORPIA. No spoilers of any kind. Please forgive any OOC.

I'm still getting used to the terminology of , but I believe this is called a oneshot? Probably one of the shortest I'll ever write.

PS- Try reading it while you've got the Angel/Buffy Love Theme (Close your eyes, instrumental) going in the background, one song looped over and over until you finish reading. It really enhances it! It's on Limewire!

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I kept my curses to myself as I was thrown into the filthy cell. I managed to stay on my feet, maintaining as much dignity as I could, under the circumstances. Still, it was a wound to my pride that they had managed to capture me at all.

This new client of SCORPIA's had us all uneasy, which was saying something coming from an organization that killed anyone for the highest bid. Which, of course, was why I had been sent in to keep a very close eye on them.

Them. We didn't even know their real names. They had come to us with cases of money and a plan outlining their operation. They hadn't even really wanted our help with any of it. Merely a representative. We should have known something was wrong when they asked for me by name.

Should have, would have. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered now was that I was stuck in a cell while They were getting ready to scatter SCORPIA to the four winds. The downfall of the greatest crime organization since the Mafia. And it would happen in mere days.

A whimper suddenly alerted to me the fact that I wasn't alone in this hellhole. I searched the cell, something I should have done first, I realized sheepishly, and my eyes fell on a mound of cloth in the corner. A lump under a single blanket.

Curiously, I moved closer to see it. It was small, and shivering. For the first time, I noticed how cold it was in here. As I took a step closer still, I almost slipped in something. Ah, blood. So whoever it was, they weren't going to be alive much longer anyway.

Could I use that death as a distraction? It probably wouldn't take much to finish off whatever was left of the person under that blanket. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it off with a snap of my wrist, my other hand ready to deal the death blow.

And stopped. I couldn't have hidden my shock for all the money in the world. Lying there, surrounded by blood and very unconscious, was Alex Rider. The boy stirred as the cold air hit the bare flesh of his shoulders.

He was in a bad way. There were several gashes across his chest and abdomen. And he seemed to be trying very hard to keep his back away from the cold wall. The bruising painted a picture for me more clearly than any words he could have said. He had been beaten to within an inch of his life, and then tortured some more. He was so thin I could see the misshapen bones of his ribs. It was very clear to me that several were broken, while others were merely dislocated. How long had he been here?

He opened his eyes, and the fixed on me. I wasn't sure what to do, and was even more confused when the boy smirked.

"Good then, it makes me feel better knowing they caught you too." His voice was hoarse and raspy. It was obvious he had spent some hours screaming.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. Despite what the boy had obviously been through, there was still that spark of spirit there, that indomitable will. In this moment, he reminded me so much of his father. John Rider had been the only true friend I'd ever had. And I knew now, as I always had, that I could never take the life of his son.

I owe John Rider everything I am today. He'd even saved my life a time or two. John Rider had been the best, and had shared those secrets with me while he trained me. For a brief moment, I remembered what it had felt like to be close to someone.

And then I dismissed it. That was in the past. But I could do this one thing for him. I couldn't save his life, but I could save the meaning of his life.

"What are you doing here, Alex?"

"MI6 sent me when they discovered G-Force- and isn't that a stupid name?- were planning on wiping out every member of the British Parliament. It seemed odd to me, even then, that they'd send me in. It's not exactly my normal mission profile."

I frowned at that. I had told him to go home and take his chance to be a kid when we last met during Stormbreaker. I'd heard, of course, of the extraordinary teen that had become such a monumental pain in the ass, but I had refused to associate those rumors with Alex.

Alex's voice was getting weaker, and his lids were dropping. I watched as he forced them open again, and wondered why. The boy was obviously in pain. Why wouldn't he allow himself the comfort of unconsciousness?

"I won't hurt you," I told him gently, suspecting his distrust of me was what was keeping him conscious.

Once again, he managed to surprise me.

"I know that. You're the best chance there is of getting out of here and letting someone know what's actually happening," Alex replied calmly.

"You _are_ aware Their plan is to take down SCORPIA?"

Alex shrugged, then whimpered. "I know. I found out the second day I was here. MI6 ordered me to get out."

"Then why?"

Alex looked at me with serious, far too old, brown eyes. He tried to smile. "Every super hero needs an arch nemesis, Yassen. That's the way the world is balanced. SCORPIA is governed by rules, of their own making, true, but still obeyed. Who's to say what would replace them?"

"Ying and yang," I whispered. Suddenly I was sad that this boy should see so well the dividing lines of the world.

Alex nodded, letting his eyes close at last. "Eternal opposites both working within the same circle. Two solitary figures standing in the middle of their opposites. That's us, you and me. It's up to us to preserve what we know."

It was the strangest conversation I'd ever had, and yet so deeply touching. The boy was obviously feverish. He coughed violently, and I was appalled at the amount of blood that flecked his lips.

Alex was dying. I knew it as surely as I knew he was right. It would be up to us to save our own worlds. Good and evil balanced on an eternal scale. I wasn't surprised to feel saddened by the fact. I was, however, deeply shocked to discover I would give anything to prevent the boys death.

"Alex, I need to see your back," I asked, wondering if he was still conscious. The twisted expression of absolute agony hadn't left his face despite the fact that his coughing had subsided.

Alex weakly shook his head. Moving an inch would put him out, and I suddenly realized Alex knew exactly how bad off he was. The boy was very aware that the next time he lost consciousness, he might not wake up.

"Looks the same as the front," he gasped.

I nodded. It didn't matter, really. There wasn't a lot I could do about it anyway. I pulled the holey blanket over him once again, making sure to tuck it over his shoulders. Taking care of someone else wasn't exactly my forte, but even I understood he needed warmth and rest to allow his body to slowly replace some of the blood it had lost.

I left him alone in his silent world of agony. We had to get out of here. I still wasn't sure why I'd been requested, and then captured, though I could guess. I was a mercenary, right? Once SCORPIA was destroyed, then I would be available to the highest bidder.

G-Force. Alex was right. It was a stupid name, and obviously one made up on the fly. Thinking back over the situation, I realized what had been disturbing me. Alex had been clear in stating this wasn't his normal mission profile. Had They somehow tricked him into being here as well?

It was only now that I was beginning to understand. MI6 and SCORPIA. Two of the world's most successful organizations. Two of the world's most successful agents. A lasting remnant of two worlds that shadowed each other in all but their defining cause. A group rich enough and powerful enough to take over both sides. Probably with Alex and I at the head.

Alex had known, had tried to tell me with his talk of ying and yang, and the two of us being in the center of our opposites world. I just hadn't figured it out in time.

Except something had gone wrong. MI6 had tried to trick G-Force. Had tried to use them to take out SCORPIA. I didn't believe for a moment that sacrificing Alex had so much as twinged MI6's conscience. So long as the result was achieved.

MI6 had been caught out in their duplicity, and Alex had paid the price.

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It was night now. I could tell by how low the temperature had dropped. Alex hasn't spoken to me again, but I knew he was still barely conscious. A part of me wished I had the courage to end it for him, to make his misery go away. But the other part of my mind kept bringing up old memories. All the times that me and my mentor had been in impossible situations, and all the times John had inexplicable found a way out of them.

Had Alex inherited that from his father as well? It certainly would seem so, if the boy was still alive. It's taken me a lifetime of training to earn the skills I have. Alex would have to have some great source of luck on his side.

"I'm not my father," Alex whispered suddenly, surprising me. Damn, that really was becoming rather distasteful habit of his. Every time I think I've got him figured out, he says something to completely throw me off.

"I know that." And I did. I could see it every time Alex looked at me. Those brown eyes were haunted with shadows John's had never had. Oh, there was still life in those eyes, still that sparkle of defiance that spoke of a core tempered with steel, but there was a sage wisdom in them too that John had never mastered. Through them I could see a soul tortured, whipped and beaten, but never destroyed.

"Then stop staring at me as though you're trying to find some part of him in me."

"I'm not trying to find him. I'm trying to find _you_."

Alex gave me a small smile. "I'm here. I'm not beaten yet."

I could see that was true. However fragile, Alex was holding on to life with everything he had. Unfortunately, it was in my nature to see that he didn't have much left to fight with. Was that why he was so still? Was he gathering was little strength he had left for one final action? For some reason, the thought terrified me.

"Alex, I want you to understand that I_ will_ get you out of here."

Alex remained silent, and I began to fear that he had lost consciousness, despite his words. But then I heard the keys in the door, and saw Alex flinch.

Two men I hadn't seen before walked in. One was a very large black man dressed in some kind of army uniform. I couldn't place it, and that made me suspect it had been gathered from many to make the one. The other was a thinner version of the first. Obviously related, but not so strongly that he would suspect father and son.

"Why have you detained me?" I demanded haughtily. After all, up until a few hours ago, I had been working with G Force.

"The General will tell you when he sees fit. Back up against the wall, Gregorovitch. I promise that before you can finish a step, both you and the boy will be dead."

I realized he was right. If I made one move, I would probably be able to escape myself, but Alex would be left here. I didn't have much left of any kind of set of principles, but my word meant everything to me. Obediently I backed as far into the wall as possible.

I watched as they grabbed Alex and pulled him to his feet. The boys scream of pain didn't seem to faze them any. What were they doing? Why were they taking Alex? He would be dead if he was tortured again.

But there was nothing I could do. The cell door was locked again, leaving me to pace anxiously around the small room once they disappeared. I ran my hands along the stone walls, looking for any weaknesses. I found none.

Whoever had built this part of the old castle had been thorough. The upper floors had been expensively rebuilt in total modern architecture, and I hadn't thought to check out the basement. Or the dungeon, I suppose it was.

Another mistake among the many I've made on this mission. Was I losing my touch? Had I lost my heart for this business? I was getting old, and I was starting to long for someone to come home to. It was ridiculous, of course. If I ever did find myself caring that way for someone, they would only be in constant danger.

Assassins didn't retire. They died, or were killed if they survived long enough to have the desire to retire. There was no life for me beyond my current occupation. But that didn't stop me from wanting.

The hours seemed to pass by more slowly than I ever could have believed. I had never done well with being cooped up in a confined space, and worrying about Alex was making it worse.

Alex. I knew sooner or later I was going to have to define my relationship with him. It wasn't as easy as one might think. Yes, he's fourteen years old. But only in body. He's seen more horror in his months as a spy than most people saw their entire lives.

And it was haunting him. I could see it in his eyes. He would do what he should, complete the mission at all costs, but I could see a part of him that wanted an ending of this life.

He was smart enough to know he could never go back, and going forward terrified him beyond anything he might ever have imagined.

When I look at Alex, I see a full grown man in a teenagers body. I'm human too, despite popular belief, and not immune to the attraction I feel for him. I could lump it up and convince myself I only care for him because he's John's son, but I've never been in the habit of lying to myself, and I wasn't about to start.

As for Alex. What did he see when he looked at me? Did he see someone he could grow to care for, or was I simply a link to his past? These were questions I couldn't answer, but wished I could.

He'll never find love. He can't share his life with anyone, and it would kill him to keep secrets from someone he loved. Alex had accepted his life would be empty. All he could see was the parents and Uncle who had left him behind. I was certain that Alex would never have children of his own to avoid that very thing.

Where did that leave the two of us, then? We seemed to be linked on a cosmic level. Both of us forced to endure the same hardships, make the same sacrifices, merely for different causes.

No, Alex was no longer a child, and I felt safe in defining the fact that I loved him.

The doors rattled again as two guards dragged a very still Alex between them. I backed up to the wall, but my heart was in my throat. Could I have already lost what I've only now discovered I wanted?

They threw him roughly to the cell floor. He wasn't conscious. There was no way he could take remained silent through that kind of pain. I had to find out. I moved to kneel next to him, and was relieved to find a pulse, though he was feverish. The heat from his skin near burned mine. His breathing was shallow and fast, as though he were trying not to draw too deeply. I didn't blame him. I knew that he had damaged ribs before he left, and new welts and bruising suggested they had been no kinder to him this time.

The door was once again locked. I ignored it as I gently rolled him over and against me. The waist of his jeans were soaked in the blood that came from the open gashes on his chest and back. His lips were cracked and bleeding, and once again I was struck by how thin he was.

His eyes were fluttering open, and I could almost wish they would stay closed. He didn't deserve this. I could feel him try to stir in my arms.

"Easy, Alex. Don't move."

He stilled immediately, and I was touched by his trust in me. "Can you end this?" he asked.

I closed my eyes against the pain his request caused. For a moment, I considered it. A snap of my hand and it would all be over for him. Was I being selfish in keeping him alive? Or overly optimistic? I couldn't stop myself from brushing my lips against his temple.

"I won't let them take you again," I promised him, and myself, instead.

Alex nodded with a sigh, as though he had expected nothing else. "My pocket," he said.

Curious, I reached into the pocket of his jeans, and was surprised to pull out a key. When had he?_ How_ had he? It didn't matter. The key was for the cell, I was certain.

"You have to go, Yassen," he whispered, and I could hear the agony in his voice. His world was a haze of pain and fever now, and concentrated thoughts were taking up his last reserves of strength.

"Not without you." If I was harsh, it wasn't difficult to understand why. I had only just come to accept my human weakness, and accept it came in the form of this boy. I couldn't do what I knew he was asking.

"The mission. Have to complete it."

"Then complete your mission, Alex!"

"I did. I saved you," Alex gasped. "It's your mission now, Yassen, to warn SCORPIA."

He started coughing violently, and I felt each one shudder through his decimated body. He pushed his body back into mine, as though trying to escape the torment. I wrapped my arms around him tightly to support him. I didn't think he felt the difference. He was too far gone.

For the first time in thirty years, I felt my eyes fill with tears. He wouldn't be able to come with me. I understood that now. Not for lack of want. But he didn't have the strength to hold on much longer.

He had made it his mission to save me, had done so the moment he discovered I would be captured too. How long had he had that key? How long had he suffered, waiting for me? I had the key, and now his mission was complete. He wasn't fighting anymore.

I felt each ragged breath as it was dragged into his body.

"Alex…"

"No, Yassen. This was my choice." He paused to draw in an especially difficult breath. "I have succeeded. Now it's up to you."

The words were said between coughs and gasps. I held him as tightly as I could. His misery no longer mattered to me. He needed to know I wasn't going to let him die alone. I could do this one last thing, for him.

I whispered all the words I had wanted to say into his ear, and when his last breath left his broken body, it was with a smile and a peace that he had never known in life. That precious spirit was gone from the world now. He had given it in sacrifice to save it.

The tears dried as I swore I wouldn't let it be in vain. I laid to rest the boy who had become a man in mere months, who had warmed my frozen heart with his gentle fire, only to have it replaced with the burning blaze of vengeance. Alex Rider would not be the last to die today.

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The End. Yep, I mean it. No sequels, no second chapters. This is it. Like I said, I was in a mood when I wrote this. Not my usual caliber, so please don't base your opinion of me as an author on it. Come to think of it, this is my very first_ EVER_ POV story. Huh.

Well, it was great fun while it lasted. 


End file.
